Your ride today....

[sevenfourate]

With a new ‘diagnosis’ on my graunchy right knee - and the go ahead to use it gently - my first (And VERY enjoyable) ride for sometime: out on the beater.

Just a leisurely 12.5miles @ 11mph inc lots of stops for photos in and around the Lowestoft / Norfolk Broads area….

 

[13 rider]

Yesterday's ride , I had entered the Lincoln GP sportive 100 mile route during the winter to keep me motivated to keep my fitness up which worked really well and my last few rides my speed had gone up and was hoping for a fast time for me around 5.5hrs but on Tuesday I woke with a sore throat which turned into a cold and on Thursday I wasn't sure I would even go but my Friday it was slightly better so Saturday morning not feeling 100% I was registering for the event .Rolled over the start in Lincoln in the third wave . The first 28 miles were mainly flat and were fast found a really fast group hung on for a while but had to let them go for fear of blowing up another slightly less fast group caught me grabbed the wheels and the first feed station was made at 19.2 mph which is quick from me .Now the climbing starts as we entered the Wolds until the next feed station at 75 miles so 47 miles of rolling hills no big climbs but constant up and down with a few 15% ramps . This section I rode mainly alone finding a nice steady pace about 10 miles from the next feed station a rider (Mike) caught me apparently he'd been chasing me for 20 miles I'd gap him on the climb and he'd come back on the downhills . A few miles chatting and we're at the feed station the speed now was down to 16.2 mph but we had now climbed 4300ft . After a good refuel were off again the next 15 miles were mainly flat and downhill .Me and Mike were joined by 2 other riders and the pace got ramped up as we cruised at 20mph . One last climb up past RAF Scampton and the a quick section back to Lincoln. Lots of British pros out practicing for today's races . Then the sting in the tail the finish is a the top of Micheal gate in Lincoln a cobbled climb of around 17% . The road is barriered off ready for today's race and you get spectators cheering you on so you just have to get up it stopping isn't an option .With 100 miles in the legs for me it was 1min 9secs of pain as I just ground my way up during the climb I was past by the St Pirans ladies team as they practiced but made it up and got my medal . The ride was notable as it took my Eddington number up to 100. Slightly disappointed with my time finished in 6.15.29 and did get under 6hrs for the ton at 5.58.45 but considering I'd had a cold in the week it was a solid effort and I'm feeling it today
Stats distance 103.35 miles time 6.15.29 Elevation 4970ft Lincolnshire isn't completely flat , speed 16.6 mph

 

[Dave 123]

21 and a bit miles to Modbury.
I stopped to admire the orchids and saw a speckled yellow moth.

Sunny until the last half hour, when the sun went in!

https://www.strava.com/activities/9070738519

 

[geocycle]

Woke early and wanted to get out of the house to take advantage of a sunny morning. Followed the beautiful River Lune through Kirby Lonsdale crossing at Devil‘s Bridge where the motorbikes were gathering. Onwards and up the rive gauche to Sedbergh where I took the bypass. The bypass being a gated road depositing me on the Hawes road by Fairfield Mill. My plan was coffee and cake but I was too early so headed off malnourished up to Garsdale Head. Surprised that the Moorcock was also still slumbering and my energy levels were falling Despite deploying the emergency trek bar. This ruled my plan of taking the steep coal road to Dentdale and I continued to the Hawes to Ingleton road. Up until now it had been sunny warm and relatively still but as soon as I started climbing to Newby Head I was in mist and a headwind. Arrived at the chaos of walkers and cars that is Ribblehead on a Sunday despite the mist and ventured to the cafe in the Station building. All a bit quirky but a very welcome cuppa and fruit cake in front of the stove. Home via Chapel Le Dale and Ingleton. 122 km with 1534 m of climbing.

Pictures of the Sedbergh ‘bypass’, the Lune, somewhere near Apperset and on the Chapel Le Dale road.

 

[cyberknight]

Led the usual club ride but to to injury /illness and idleness on the part of other there was only me and my long term locomotive of a friend so it was time for

View: https://media.giphy.com/media/11rIergnpiYpvW/giphy.gif


66 miles in total with an average for the ride of 19 mph with a stop after about 38 miles at the triumph cafe/museum at hinckley where i was persuaded to check for size the only way im going to get a kom

 

[Mburton1993]

Tested my rack and pannier:







Everything stayed on, that's a pass.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

A long ride planned today, so off at the crack of sparrow, the sun just rising and mist melting away.

First off, up Werneth Low, with the sun across the mist in the Peak.

Then up Tameside through Stalybridge, Mossley, Uppermill, Delph, Denshaw and across the M62 at Rishworth Moor.

Found a lovely road which cuts across to the top of Cragg Vale, and then enjoyed the descent to Mytholmroyd. Now the very steep climb to Heptonstall, the pavé through the village and the lovely, lonely road across the moors to Trawden:

then Haworth for lunch.

From Haworth, the ride turned brutal. First over the "Tommy Lee Royce" road to Sowerby Bridge, where the locals sense of humour remains as keen as ever: "can you tell me the best way to Sowerby Bridge?" "Sure, follow that lane". 30 seconds later...

Brutal climbs from Sowerby, then again to Outlane, then again to Meltham, then again to Blackberry reservoir and Holme, where a pie and flapjack were obtained from the community shop.

Holme Moss next, which actually didn't seem too tough compared to the preceding efforts! And the classic pie/ flapjack combo very much enjoyed at the summit.

Rolled down to Glossop, then a last big climb through Simmondley to Charlesworth, and home through Marple Bridge.

123 miles, a smidgen short of 4000m climbing. I think that's probably my longest ever ride.

 

[Andy in Germany]

123 miles, a smidgen short of 4000m climbing. I think that's probably my longest ever ride.

Longer than I've ever ridden and a lot more climbing than I've managed in one ride too; much respect to you sir.

 

[Jenkins]

Rather than face an 8 - 10 mile slog into a 15-20mph constant headwind to go up to the local click & collect emporium, I took the easy way out and took the train up to Diss and rode the 46 miles back home with the wind at my back for almost the whole way. All I needed to carry was a small backpack with a D-lock as it wasn't a bulky collection. Could somebody please confirm that this is mid-May as it was bloody cold with the northerly breeze in the open Suffolk countryside.

 

[ColinJ]

With a new ‘diagnosis’ on my graunchy right knee - and the go ahead to use it gently - my first (And VERY enjoyable) ride for sometime: out on the beater.

Just a leisurely 12.5miles @ 11mph inc lots of stops for photos in and around the Lowestoft / Norfolk Broads area….

Surely, your regular power walking hurts your knee much more than gentle cycling?

 

[DCLane]

Saturday-Sunday was the lumpy (too lumpy for me) Moors & Wolds 400km audax. It turned out to be colder than forecast with fog on the North Yorks moors and also overnight heading south-bound. Or rather I was under-dressed even with four layers on the top

A decent ride out to Gainsborough, then north up to Barton-on-Humber for a quick lunch stop and over the Humber bridge. Loads of police by the Western walkway so something was up.

From there it was hills to the next stop at Stamford Bridge and uphill via Malton to Pickering. Not south after that, but east to Staxton for fish and chips.

Then the nasty climbs began with a 17% climb on a full stomach. My Ridgeback Platinum which is 18kg fully loaded, or rather a poorly back, really struggled up that one. Over two more then down to Beverley.

At this point it was westerly through to Goole, then south to Thorne. This was the 'flat' section of the ride and I needed it. It then progressed with the flat-ish Hatfield and Rossington.

It's now cold and 4am, getting light. And the organiser had put a 'challenging' sting in the tail; a series of short, steep climbs through Dinnington and on to Bolsolver. They were tough and I struggled at this point. Had I had enough time to create my own version of the route I'd have by passed this bit, and the three climbs earlier, taking a more easterly route using main roads.

However, I made it back and that's the third of four Paris-Brest-Paris qualifiers done. I've a couple of 600's booked and then will decide whether I'm doing PBP.

 

[Juan Kog]

Note to @Jenkins and @DCLane you have both turned 2 extra pages on your calendar, it’s the middle of March not May .

 

[13 rider]

Official photos from Saturday's sportive me climbing Micheal gate Lincoln

Over the steep bit

 

[Dave 123]

9 chilly miles on my mountain bike. A bit of bridle way. That’s about it really!

https://www.strava.com/activities/9083923251

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Hi folks. It's been a while since I've posted anything in this thread, which has been due to my brother and I taking up seasonal jobs and moving to the Lake District. We have been getting out on our days off and we are slowly getting used to every ride being a hilly ride.

Here are the most recent rides I've done:

7th of May: Doug and I had done a walk on the day of the Coronation and the weather for the following day was great for a ride. We headed out from Kendal in the direction of Staveley then used the cycle path to Windermere town, enjoying that classic first view down to the lake on the approach. After a tour of the residential roads in the town we climbed up Lickbarrow Road, which is steeper than I remembered and headed towards Winster. I put in a detour to stay off the main road, which wasn't really necessary as it was pretty quiet and added in a steep climb that Doug didn't really enjoy - oops. He did enjoy the lanes to Bowland Bridge though, which were through some great scenery and had plenty of nice descents between the short climbs.

The road to Witherslack was quite lumpy which slowed Doug down a bit - even more so when his chain jammed when he attempted to drop down to the small ring on one short but sharp climb. After Witherslack there is some very flat riding using the old A590. We got along quite nicely on this section and, before Levens, decided to keep going on the flat a bit longer by heading up the Lyth Valley to Brigsteer where a pub stop was taken at The Wheatsheaf. A pint went down nicely and we chatted with a couple whose dogs decided we were their new best friends.

Following the pub stop we headed straight into a steep climb to get back to Kendal - it may not be the highest or steepest around but is unrelenting, so wasn't easy straight after a pub stop. A good one for training I think. I still haven't entirely got my head round the best way of getting through the Kendal one way system on a bike - there are cycle paths but as we found this time, they aren't always laid out in the most helpful way.

31.2 miles at 11.3 mph average. Strava tells us that we did 2,293 feet of climbing on this one.